The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the purposes, plans, activities, and programs of the National Education Association that focused upon instruction. To carry out this purpose, guideline questions were developed. Answers to the questions were sought through leads obtained from a study of the volumes of Addresses and Proceedings for the years since the first NTA meeting in 1857 through the 1976 NEA Convention and editions of the NEA Handbook from the first in 1945 through the 1976 edition. Findings were presented in a six-chapter historical-descriptive narrative. Although interest in instruction is not an exclusive concern held only by professional associations, the findings of this study do suggest that instruction has been a fortunate focus for the NEA in two respects. First, the times of NEA's more obvious emphasis on instruction have been relatively free of criticism of Association activity. Secondly, emphasis on instruction has emerged as a thread to unify the National Education Association with diverse organizations and with classic human institutions--the home, the church, the school, and governmental agencies--throughout the world.